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Illegal advertising in Utah Valley

We've all seen it before: Large "NO SOLICITING OR DISTRIBUTION OF FLIERS. PRIVATE PROPERTY" signs on apartment complexes, whose supposedly-protected tenants deal with magazines, handbills, ads and signs taped onto their doors, littered on their stairs, and jammed into their windows or windshield wipers.

So the question I've been asking myself for the last year is whether local Provo advertisers are just plain retarded and think the signs don't apply to them, or if they're willfully disregarding the rights of tenants and landlords all over Provo by littering and trespassing for the 1-3% chance that someone will call up and buy from them.

My guess is that it's the latter...

All of us have dealt with illegal and intrusive advertising at one time or another, but compared to the other places that I've lived, Provo has been the worst by far. Perhaps it's the fact that we belong to the most sought-after demographic of 18-25 year old college students. Perhaps it's the fact that some of our comrades in Provo are so hard-up for cash that they're willing to unscrupulously pollute our valley with "OK RENTAL" and "GOLDS GYM" handbills, despite the fact that it's illegal. Whatever the reason, the sad fact is that our little valley here is being invaded by advertising and marketing cretins, and we're not willing to do anything about it.

But what can be done, you ask? I'm not exactly sure, but I've called in some questions to the Provo police department regarding what can be done. The biggest mistake people make is just ignoring it, because that doesn't stop these bozos from doing it again. Situations in other cities have suggested that if your apartment has a posted sign forbidding soliciting, that you can file a complaint or a charge of trespassing with intent to annoy and have the offending company substantially fined. Other routes of action could potentially be reporting the handbills as litter, which has been fined up to $300 per each individual piece of illegal advertising in other cities.

While this article is most certainly a rant, I'm also asking for your help and support. The next time you've got a Gold's Gym ad jammed into your door and see a dozen more littering the shrubs in your complex, don't just ignore it or figure that nothing can be done - seriously think about what the economical impact to YOUR community is with tens of thousands of these things littered on the ground each month. And if you're angry or annoyed by these advertisers who refuse to stop harassing you with their garbage, speak up! I'm thinking about starting a community initiative to reform this illegal advertising in Provo, and need your help. The law is on our side, but unless people actually do something about it, it'll never get better and only get worse!

I used to live in Branbury (a nightmare, just in case any of you are considering it), and would see one of the flyer-distributors every morning around 7:00. I always wanted to follow just a few doors behind him and pick up the notes and drop the whole collection on his car. But instead, I just started taking the ads I'd get and putting it into the management's overnight drop box. I falsely figured they'd be annoyed as well and do something about it.

We get flyers and such on our door all the time too. And we live in a house, not in student housing. Our whole neighborhood is constantly recieving flyers and also at the door solicitaions.

Personally I don't know what to do other than just put the ads right in the recycle can. If it is truly illeagl, then I think we could report the actual company to the authorities. If you target the company I have a feeling you will get more done. The question is if it is worth taking the police's time away from more important matters or not. It could be a good time to actually contact the company directly, and possibly even collect as many ads from each place as possible and then send them back to the company.

At any rate, I am glad you brought it up because it is annoying to everyone, not just students living in complexes.

well...i'll be the first to say that I'm VERY anti-cop - rather as my fiance would say "the anti-influx of cops" (basically there are WAY too many cops in provo - we are wasting our tax money)
so...the cops have nothing else to do ....
they just pull over poor souls
Might as well give them something to do other than drink their sodey pop and pick their nose...
Go chase the flier guys...stop pulling me over for expired tabs or parking in the wrong direction.

Maybe a little perspective from someone who actually handed out those little papers...I worked at American Pie, formerly known as Pizza Pipeline and was asked to distribute flyers many times. I was asked to stop handing out flyers in Helaman Halls(by some idiot student manager who tried to scare me by threatening to call the police, but that is beside the point). I told the owner, who basically didn't care at all and sent more people out to distribute. So basically, the owners of these businesses(well at least American Pie, can't speak for everyone) don't care at all. ITs just cheap advertising to them.

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